Our Difference is Our Strength. I’ve been saying it for years now, and every year I become more aware that those who are different are more often feared and rejected than appreciated or accepted. So, my hopes and dreams are for a future that embraces and celebrates our differences, and is respectful to all, regardless of race, sexuality, gender, or disability.

What do you hope for?

GIVEAWAY

Two random commenters will win an ebook of choice from my backlist in format of choice (pdf/epub/mobi).

Entering is simple: leaving a comment and a valid email adress is enough, though you’re free to share your own hopes and dreams (either for humanity or your loved ones). I’d love to hear them.

The contest will run until midnight on the 30th, and I’ll announce (and contact via email) the winners May 1st.

And don’t forget to check out RJ’s Masterlist. So many stories to fuel our hopes and dreams.

When Youngest was in primary school, (group 3, I think, so, around the age of 6/7), I thought she might be autistic. There were certain behaviours that seemed… off, for lack of a better word, and she had a way of not looking at you when you were talking to her. School didn’t seem to agree and tried to convince me that, even though she was the only one out of a class of 36 pupils showing said behaviour, it was probably just a phase.

From that moment on things with Youngest seemed to… well, escalate isn’t exactly the right word, but getting through to her became more difficult. Not all the time, her behaviour seemed to go through up and down waves. So, we had her tested. During the interview before the tests, we were told that Youngest seemed too social to be autistic, yet the report after the tests supported my worries more than their opinion. Somewhere among a slew of appointments that followed, we finally received a diagnosis of mild Tourette syndrome, accompanied by ADD and a touch of compulsive behaviour. Of course, that set off another slew of appointments to help Youngest and to help us help Youngest. (and in a way help Eldest, too, by following some parenting courses, cause… you have to try something, right?)

It’s been a learning curve for all of us. She’s 22 now, intelligent, though lazy as F (and often proud of it), and one of the kindest, most generous persons you’ll ever meet. Her tics seems to have taken a back seat, but her ADD is a constant companion.

GIVEAWAY

One randomly chosen winner will have a choice of my ebook backlist in format of choice (pdf/epub/mobi).

Entering is simple: leaving a comment and a valid email adress is enough, though you’re free to share your own story. I’d love to hear them.

The contest will run until midnight on the 30th, and I’ll announce (and contact via email) the winners May 1st.

Note: 36 seems like an awful lot, but they had it covered. Two teachers, of which one handled the teaching, and the other kept an eye on the pupils who lagged behind or were ahead. We thought it worked very well, for school work at least.

Because OREN’s RIGHT also belongs to the TALES OF THE FOREST Universe, you can pick that up with a 50% discount at Amazon, ARe, Kobo, and Smashwords (with coupon code UQ72Y), between December 22nd to January 7th as well.

On top of that, I’m holding an exclusive e-book and paperback giveaway (sent worldwide) for members of my newsletter, that will go out on the 22nd.

I always admire fellow authors who post their writing plans online. Part of me fears the pressure, and the other part of me would rather hide in a private corner after failing to accomplish said planning.

I’m not saying I feel differently about that now. Believe me, I’ll still be in that corner, hiding, if I feel less than accomplished. But… I’d like to think that I’ve grown less fearful of planning itself. I’ve stopped seeing it as set in stone, but look at it more as a guideline to keep me on track when I’ve finished a project.

So, with that in mind, this is my WIP planning for 2017.

Most of these projects are finished, though rough, first drafts, some of which I’ve been planning to edit for a long time, but keep postponing in the light of new projects. Now, I like new projects as much as any author, but I’m running the risk of creating a far too large list of first drafts when I really should be focussing on getting these publish/submission ready.

So, less writing new stories and more editing the old ones. It’s going to be a challenge to shelf any plotbunnies I may come across, but I’m very much looking forward to revisiting and polishing my little diamonds in the rough.

ETA: The program I use for my writing planning is OneNote.
The titles are linked to the individual pages of the WIPs which are divided into folders.

They are meant to be together, but old promises and the decree of the elders prevent them from claiming each other openly at Solstice. Kelnaht can investigate murder and foul play, but he can’t see how he can keep both his lovers without breaking the rules. But if he believes in the guide’s words and trusts his faith in Ma’terra, they will find a way to clear the fog and puddles from their paths.

Together with these three books, I’m releasing A TRIAD IN THREE ACTS, which contains the complete Forester Trilogy in one handy novel. This version includes the covers of the single releases as inlays. Hopefully I’ll have paperbacks at the UKMeet. *crossed fingers*

The whole trilogy will be released on the 15th (next Monday), but they can already be pre-ordered at the usual haunts. Just follow the links at the bottom, or on the books’ pages.

I should have announced these last week, but, Tuesday saw the cover reveal of FULL CIRCLE and A TRIAD IN THREE ACTS at Love Bytes Reviews. (there’s also a giveaway going on there…if you’re quick, because it ends in two hours)

And Wednesday saw the cover reveal of the first two parts of the trilogy, THE FORESTER and LOST AND FOUND at BookWinked.

All of these gorgeous, gorgeous covers were created by the very talented Simoné, who did a cracking job bringing my forest men to life 🙂

I’m more than chuffed to have them finally available again, and hope readers will enjoy the third and final part (after having had to wait for me to finish it for…too long).

I’ve been writing poetry on and off through the years, whenever the mood strikes. Sometimes it’s a mere word that creates a flow of images in my head, sometimes it’s a feeling, a setting, a ‘character’. Which doesn’t differ all that much from my novel writing, really.

But where I can let my pen flow freely as I discover colourful worlds by following my main characters around in fiction, poetry demands more restraint. Especially since I like to keep my poems short. I like that restraint, though. I like using only few words–or lines–to create an image in the readers’ heads, whether fully formed, or just hinting at…

I never seriously thought about publishing them until earlier this year, when a love-themed poetry call found its way into my timeline. It sparked me into writing new poems, as well as polishing old ones. Some of my critters and beta-readers commented I should self-publish it–thank you, you know who you are–so… here it is.

However, I didn’t publish it as Blaine D. Arden. Blaine is all about queer romance, and while some of my poetry may be taken as queer–whatever your definition–it doesn’t quite fit my Blaine brand, so to speak. So, Matters of the Heart is published by my alter ego A.B. Dapperens.

Oh? And did I mention that the gorgeous, gorgeous cover was created by the lovely Lou Harper? Didn’t she do an amazing job? It fits the theme so well, and makes me smile every time I see it.

Twenty-five years of living together, of combining two different rhythms into a new one, where we both fit, of raising kids–and a couple of pets. Twenty-five years of growth, of ups and downs, of laughing and crying together. Twenty-five years of trying to create some sort of liveable order out of our chaotic and perfectionistic personalities. Twenty-five years, and counting, of love, friendship, and understanding that help us overcome obstacles thrown our way–or those we throw each other’s way; we’re not perfect.

And today, we celebrate and share our happiness.

From today (August 24th) until September 1st, both Oren’s Right and The Fifth Son are available for a 50% discount on Amazon, ARe, Kobo, and Smashwords (via coupons).

Buy links can be found below, or on the respective book pages, including the smashwords coupon codes.

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